Question

Use the table of data from an investigation to answer the question.

Mass Of Ball And Time To Hit Ground
Mass of ball (grams) Time to hit ground (seconds)
10 1.02
15 1.01
26 1.62
A student is investigating gravity and falling objects. She drops three balls and times how long it takes each ball to hit the ground. What is the most likely source of error?

(1 point)
Responses

She dropped the balls from different heights.
She dropped the balls from different heights.

She used balls that are different sizes.
She used balls that are different sizes.

She did not measure the circumference of the balls.
She did not measure the circumference of the balls.

She did not measure the mass after the balls hit the ground.

Answer 1

She dropped the balls from different heights.

Reason: For free fall (ignoring air resistance), time to hit the ground should be the same regardless of mass. The much larger time for the 26 g ball suggests it was released from a greater height (or timing/starting errors), so differing drop heights are the most likely source of error.